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Original poster

To wish my GP practice had told me about this upward trend earlier?

285 replies

polarband · 01/08/2025 14:45

I have used a blood pressure medication to treat migraines for several years now. As a result I need to go for blood tests and a BP check every 6 months as my BP tends to be low on this medication. The blood tests are mainly to check my kidneys but they do other checks as well, after each test I just call and they tell me everything's fine and I go again in another 6 months.

This time after my check I got called back in to speak to the doctor and was told I have high cholesterol and prediabetes. I asked him what could have caused the problem so suddenly and he said it hadn't been sudden and that if he looked at my blood test results over the past 6 years he could see that my cholesterol and blood glucose levels had been creeping up but its only now just crossed over into clinical diagnosis. I am fit, a healthy weight, a non smoking, non drinking, active woman with ideal blood pressure who eats a healthy whole food diet so when I was told my results were normal I thought that meant I was healthy not that things were getting worse.

I'm not mad that it's happened because these things do happen of course, I'm 50 now and there is type 2 diabetes in my family but I just wish they had told me earlier when this upward trend was noticed and I could have made some changes to prevent getting to this level. My GP just said they don't treat at anything below clinical diagnosis level and anything below that is in the healthy range and therefore normal.

Is it so unreasonable to think that they should flag up something like this to patients?

OP posts:
Manthide · 01/08/2025 18:48

JulesJules · 01/08/2025 15:21

Really? I never had that.

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Neither did !! I've lived in the same house and had the same gp since I was 34. I'm 60 in a couple of months!

Original poster
polarband · 01/08/2025 18:44

@ToInfiniteaAndBeyond I think it is rather the norm in these parts and my practice is good in many other ways.

OP posts:
ToInfiniteaAndBeyond · 01/08/2025 18:43

polarband · 01/08/2025 18:40

Again even doing this will often result in a refusal, you need to write a letter to request or see a doctor but they can't give you an appointment to discuss "normal" results.

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That’s really appalling service. This is information you have a right to access. Speaking as a GP, I’d definitely consider changing surgeries if that’s an option for you.

Original poster
polarband · 01/08/2025 18:40

ToInfiniteaAndBeyond · 01/08/2025 18:37

In future, go to reception and tell the receptionist you need a printed copy. They can easily print any results for you.

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Again even doing this will often result in a refusal, you need to write a letter to request or see a doctor but they can't give you an appointment to discuss "normal" results.

OP posts:
Original poster
polarband · 01/08/2025 18:38

PrissyGalore · 01/08/2025 18:35

You need to ask for your results to be printed out if you can’t access them via the app. You can monitor trends yourself-a busy GP will only be alerted if it’s outside the norm. And fobbed off? You could’ve always just responded with ‘great but I’d like them printed out please’.

We really need to take more interest in maintaining our own health. Not just for when we get sick.

It obviously doesn't work like that in some places as detailed repeatedly on this thread by many posters now. Even booking appointments online is not the norm in most GP surgeries round here. I know of like one person who has this ability and it is a very rural practice.

OP posts:
ToInfiniteaAndBeyond · 01/08/2025 18:37

polarband · 01/08/2025 14:51

@RosesAndHellebores I don't believe that is available in my area and in the past when I ask for my exact results I've been fobbed off and told I don't need to know because its all normal.

In future, go to reception and tell the receptionist you need a printed copy. They can easily print any results for you.

IncessantNameChanger · 01/08/2025 18:37

They only look for flagged results by the analysis machine. Eg iron is a massive range. It can be well below normal / optimum and still not get flagged up.

PrissyGalore · 01/08/2025 18:36

My friend was told he had prediabetes and didn’t want to go on medication. He wanted to try to reverse it himself-so adjusted his diet and focused on exercise too. He’s now in the normal range-it can be done.

TheEllisGreyMethod · 01/08/2025 18:35

polarband · 01/08/2025 18:32

@TheEllisGreyMethod Is that possible to be referred to a programme with prediabetes?

Where I live there is a 12 week programme for people with pre diabetes including exercise classes, dietary advice etc. It's really good but not sure how many areas have it. I would ask for something similar though. If not, I would consider a dietitian appointment to manage the two conditions.

Freysimo · 01/08/2025 18:35

I'm in Wales so can't access results on NHS app either, but I always ask for a printout of results which reception are happy to do.

Biggles27 · 01/08/2025 18:35

myplace · 01/08/2025 14:50

If they only flag results that are above the line, your progression won’t have been visible until someone looked. Which they won’t have done, as you have no symptoms and your blood results are clear.

I understand your frustration, but you were the only person in a position to notice. You didn’t look either.

To be fair to op, I’m in Wales - we cannot access our results on line and my GP will not give you results, literally normal or abnormal.

PrissyGalore · 01/08/2025 18:35

You need to ask for your results to be printed out if you can’t access them via the app. You can monitor trends yourself-a busy GP will only be alerted if it’s outside the norm. And fobbed off? You could’ve always just responded with ‘great but I’d like them printed out please’.

We really need to take more interest in maintaining our own health. Not just for when we get sick.

Original poster
polarband · 01/08/2025 18:32

@TheEllisGreyMethod Is that possible to be referred to a programme with prediabetes?

OP posts:
TheEllisGreyMethod · 01/08/2025 18:31

Sorry op, it's really rubbish. With some good diet changes you'll be able to get it under control. British heart foundation has some great resources on cholesterol lowering diet, and ask to be referred to your local t2 diabetes program like xpert.

Original poster
polarband · 01/08/2025 18:30

@BerryTwister There are changes I could have made like using a CGM which seemed like over kill if things are normal or adding a fibre supplement like psyllium husk or upping strength training. I appreciate I still have time but ideally these things would be flagged up earlier if the trend is progressively bad over the years.

OP posts:
TheEllisGreyMethod · 01/08/2025 18:29

Unbelievable how you English don't realize you're the only ones with access to the NHS app, even when repeatedly told

Original poster
polarband · 01/08/2025 18:27

@Enrichetta I feel like I do all that have always eaten healthy whole foods, never drank alcohol or fizzy drinks. I do like a sweet treat but I do limit them to high days and holidays. I exercise and all that jazz but still sometimes these things happen due to your genetics but yes I will try and see this as a positive in that I will further fine tune my approach and I know I could do more strength training.

OP posts:
ArabellaScott · 01/08/2025 18:22

polarband · 01/08/2025 14:59

@myplace I'm in Scotland so our app is still in development according to reports online, I'm not sure why we can't just use the same one NHS England has.

Cause ours will be superspecial, of course. 🙄

WindyBeech · 01/08/2025 18:19

Fibrous · 01/08/2025 15:27

Yeah you’re supposed to have a health check every five years from the age of 40. I have been invited for (both) of mine but I know other friends of a similar age who’ve never heard of it. They do a few blood tests and measure height, weight, and then ask a lot of questions about your booze intake and physical exertion. Then give you a cardiovascular risk score.

call and ask for one if you want it, and you get booked in with a nurse.

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I was invited but then the funding had run out so they only did height, weight, smoking, alcohol etc no actual tess

Enrichetta · 01/08/2025 18:17

polarband · 01/08/2025 16:50

@Threeboystwocatsandadog Yes to ask for them, I agree that its fairly easy to get them once you are in front of a GP but otherwise its like pulling hen's teeth. I'm relieved to see other people from Scotland back me up here!

I would write to the Practice Manager about this. It really is not acceptable for staff to be hostile to printing off test results, given that there is no App to check.

If you are 50, @polarband , now is a good time to review and take charge of your health. I'm 71 and really glad I did but wish I’d done so sooner. There are always improvements to be made and their value increases exponentially as you get older.

Healthy diet, especially in terms of reduced consumption of refined carbs, sugar, alcohol.

Exercise, especially weight-bearing/resistance based. Simple things like daily planks and/or walking with a weighted vest.

Keeping an active mind - never stop taking an interest in many things and trying something new.

Nurturing a mutually supportive network of friends/other women.

Planning for a financially secure retirement.

it all hangs together in terms of making aging less stressful and more enjoyable!

BerryTwister · 01/08/2025 18:09

OP your results won’t have necessarily gone to the same GP each time, and even if they did, the GP will see the result is in the normal range, and will tick “normal”. They don’t have time to look back at all previous results to spot trends.

Anyway, it sounds as if you live pretty healthily anyway, so until you reached the threshold for drug treatment, there wouldn’t have been much you could do, given that there wasn’t anything wrong with your lifestyle.

You should be allowed print outs of your results though.

SuperBlondie28 · 01/08/2025 18:08

It's all very well saying read the App, but understanding test results ie lipid results, it's just loads of figures that mean very little to some people.

I'm the same as OP. Angry! I've had high BP going back a while, before App introduced and no one at the Dr's said anything. Am now medicated since 2019. All good👌🏻It was never really high like 136 over xx back then, except when having migraine pain. I've was fobbed off with 'you're too young to be perimenopausal' so started HRT much later than I wanted. Started peri late 30s. Now 49. HRT finally in 2021.

Now lipid results are showing high triglycerides, looking back, they've been high for while, showed an Abnormal result and yet no one said anything!

Original poster
polarband · 01/08/2025 18:05

@HerNotIndoors They are apparently testing a patient portal in a single region up here this summer and it will be rolled out in future. However it still seems unclear if medical records and test results will be available via this system, it looks like initially they won't be.

OP posts:
Imisscoffee2021 · 01/08/2025 18:05

Yeah you have to ask explicitly for the figures or get a copy of results in my experience. You shouldn't have to but you do, for example I had subclinical hypothyroidism without knowing because my tsh was 4.8 on a routine blood test, over 10 is overt hypothyroidism. but over 2 for tsh was still enough to potentially hinder conception and the gp knew I was actively trying to conceive. But over the phone my results were "normal" and only me asking for them and noticing the tsh line in red led to me querying it.

I needed ivf in the end due to male factor infertility but I had to have my tsh down under 2 to start the cycle which luckily it was as I'd by then pushed for thyroxine. It's nuts though that they saw my tsh was elevated and didn't tell me til I specifically asked.

TempestTost · 01/08/2025 18:04

HerNotIndoors · 01/08/2025 17:57

Sadly, in the 'old days' the family GP would be taking an interest in their patient and warning them that for 6 years their results were heading in the wrong direction.

It's just another example of the NHS failing and going downhill.

But also, people need to be proactive and more invested in getting their data, not just accepting 'normal'.

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So at what point should they set the threshold for "not normal?" Because it is already pretty low.